"We make no money on them, but people buy beer, they buy wine, they buy assorted appetizers," Ian MacGregor, owner of the Lobster Place and Cull & Pistol in Manhattan, tells New York.

MacGregor has found that an increasing number of establishments have used oysters as a loss leader since the recession. They're attractive to both customers and proprietors because they offer anyone a slice of the high life and they're easy to serve.